The collection consists of materials relating to the Miami-Dade Model City Program donated by Dr. Foster in 1980 and supplemented by staff of The Black Archives.  The bulk of the collection consists of materials donated by Dr. Foster.  The materials document the administration of the Miami-Dade Model Cities Program and businesses and services created or impacted by Miami-Dade Model Cities Program.  The bulk of the collection consists of photographs; other types of materials include:  directories, flyers, manuals, minutes, newspaper articles, and reports.  Although newspaper articles contained in the collection discuss funding, the collection does not contain extensive primary source financial documentation.

The Model Cities Program grew out of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 1966 Cities Demonstration and Metropolitan Development Act.  The Act was designed to coordinate federal, state, local and private resources in a comprehensive plan to substantially improve the social and physical conditions of blighted neighborhoods. The Model Cities Program's initial goals involved rebuilding and rehabilitating social service delivery, and emphasized citizen participation. In 1975, the Model Cities Program moved from HUD administration to a division under the Human Resources Department and was renamed the Community Development Division.

Sixty-three Model City Planning Grants existed for which there were two hundred applications from all parts of the country.  In June 1969, HUD approved the Miami-Dade Model City Plan for the area bounded on the north by N.W. 79th Street, on the south by the Airport Expressway, on the east by I-95, and on the west by N.W. 37th Avenue.  The Miami-Dade Model City was awarded 9.6 million dollars per year for five years.